These meetings were starting to get a little redundant. Every couple of days, Bill would sneak away from his wife and daughter to a quiet spot. Every couple of days he would come face to face with the monster who threatened his world and his family. Every couple of days he would give her the bare minimum of updates – things he learned about the Rangers. Every couple of days, he would have to insist that what he knew was all he knew, and convince her that he was telling the truth, which he was. The Rangers were being cautious with them. Bill had discovered that they had been burned by Oedius in a similar fashion. He wasn't sure how, exactly, but he knew this was the reason that he hadn't yet been welcomed back completely into his old life. His daughter and her friends had to be careful, and he was glad that they were.

"I really haven't learned much," Bill promised Oedius, who was growing more and more irritated by his lack of information. She had saved him so he could be her spy – so he could help her take over the planet – and he had done little in return. He was sure that if this kept up, she might just rid herself of him. He didn't have much choice in the matter, though, and took some comfort in the thought that there was a way out of this arrangement, even if it meant leaving his family behind again. "They're not giving me much, because they're worried it might get back to you."

"And why would they think that?"

"Something to do with Aiden," Bill said with a shrug. "You probably know better than me. You know, even kids learn from their mistakes. Not to mention, knowing what we know, they have a reason to be concerned. I am working for you."

"Reluctantly."

"Hey, I'm here, aren't I?" Bill said and gestured to the spot where he was standing. "Even if I don't like it, you're still getting what you want."

"Hardly," Oedius frowned. "But that's going to change."

"I don't know how to get a Power Star."

"You've made that clear. Fortunately for you, I've decided it would be more enjoyable to have the Rangers hand them over to me."

"That's not going to happen."

"Really?" Oedius asked with a smirk. "Because, if memory serves, the Rangers are willing to give up Power Stars for each other."

"So, you're going to try another old trick?" Bill asked. "Knowing the Rangers are already being careful?"

"Old trick with a twist. The Rangers might be willing to sacrifice a Power Star for themselves, but they have a nasty habit of gaining their powers back."

"Maybe because the Stars picked them for their strength, for the power they already possess, instead of giving them powers?"

Oedius glared at Bill. If she didn't need him, she wouldn't be tolerating his comments. Since she had done little to keep him in line, knowing he would rather die by her hand that let his family come to harm, he didn't feel as threatened by her as he used to be. Still, she didn't want him to think she would give him too much leeway.

"I want to make them weak," Oedius said. "I want them to hand over their Power Stars while begging for mercy."

"I'm not doing that to Sarah."

"Relax. Your pink Ranger and her mother will be unharmed, as per our agreement," Oedius said. "However, the others..."

Bill gulped, and he was sure a look of fear was visible on his face. By the way Oedius started to smile, he knew his panic had to be obvious. His agreement with Oedius only protected Jenny and Sarah. He hadn't been able to keep any of the other Rangers and their families safe. He knew Oedius was about to ask him to do something he didn't want to do. However, if he didn't do it, he would break their agreement, putting Jenny and Sarah in harm's way. Oedius would put all her energy into hurting them.

"Are you backing out?" Oedius asked when she saw his panic. Bill shook his head.

"Do I really have a choice?"

"You do," she nodded. "Perhaps that's the best part of this arrangement. Whether you like it or not, you do have the choice to back out. You won't like the consequences, though."

"Either way, someone loses, right?"

"I'm thinking red and gold," Oedius said. "Red is the leader. He falls, the others will fall too."

"You want to kill Brody?"

"Not a Ranger. Their father. That… old ninja human."

"Dane?" Bill asked and shook his head. He had to quickly come up with a reason why killing Dane might be a bad idea for Oedius. "Hasn't he already been killed once?"

"What do you mean?"

"The Rangers told me about their powers," Bill said. "The Prism showed up for Dane back when the boys were young. They thought he died protecting it. That's how Brody wound up a prisoner of your old boss, right?"

"And?"

"Well, you tried to kill him once and it didn't work."

"Galvanax was a fool."

"But he's already proven he's hard to kill. He won't go down without a fight. He won't be the easiest target. As powerful as you are, you don't want to give your target much of a chance."

"So… the blue Ranger's parents?"

"Preston… he isn't close to his parents," Bill said. He had very little information about the Rangers, but he would use anything he could to hopefully talk Oedius out of her own plan. He hoped, if he brought up good enough arguments, she would drop this idea of hurting the Rangers through their loved ones and come up with something else. Something maybe a little less lethal. "From what I hear, they're just starting to mend fences."

"Might be tragic," Oedius countered. Bill shook his head.

"Or it might not have the impact you want," Bill said. "Preston might be glad it was his parents and not anyone else's."

"So that leaves us with the yellow Ranger's parents and the white Ranger's parents."

"Well… none of the Rangers really know Calvin's parents very well except for him and Hayley," Bill said.

"They know the white Ranger's parents better?"

"Well… I mean, I guess," Bill shrugged. He didn't have much of an out here. Dane was easy. He was a ninja himself and had already survived death once. The fact that Preston and his parents had had a falling out rather recently meant that there was some tension there. While Bill was sure losing his parents would be tragic for Preston, he could pretend like the falling out would make it a little easier for Preston to handle.

Unfortunately, Hayley and Calvin's parents were just regular parents. They didn't know about their children's Ranger activities and still had a great bond with them. If any of them were to get hurt or killed, it would hurt.

"One of them will die," Oedius told him. "There's nothing you can do to stop it."

"You can't ask me to pick, though."

"You will pick," Oedius told him. "Otherwise, I choose your wife."